By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter

South Korea and the United States will remain ``reliable and interoperable allies’’ and continue to maintain regional stability, even if American troops stationed on the peninsula are reduced, Lt. Gen. Charles C. Campbell, ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) chief of staff, said on Tuesday.

Campbell, who concurrently serves as the commanding general of the Eighth U.S. Army, said that despite the undergoing realignment of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), the alliance is as solid as ever.

``The commitment of our two nations will remain firm, enduring and unwavering,’’ he said, while meeting with local reporters at his headquarters in Yongsan.

Campbell is the highest-level officer at the CFC at present, since its commander, Leon J. LaPorte, is on his trip to the U.S. until early next month and deputy commander, Gen. Shin Il-soon, is expected to quit his job after being found guilty of embezzlement. A CFC spokesman said that Campbell’s outing was intended to clarify confusion over a recent series of developments regarding U.S. decision to shift 4,000 soldiers from here to Iraq. Some South Koreans fear that it will lead to further withdrawals of troops at the risk of creating a security vacuum.

The U.S. general expressed understanding of President Roh Moo-hyun’s recent remark on the early establishment of the ``cooperative self-defense system.’’

South Korea has started to overhaul the general operation plan of its armed forces, in preparation for the USFK realignment, which will be conducted in line with the U.S.’ global defense posture review (GPR).

Campbell said the half-century-old alliance has now to be adapted in a way that recognizes the changes in the international security environment, the improved capabilities of the South Korean armed forces and South Korea’s desire to play the predominant role in the defense of its sovereign territory.

``We attach no small significance to the vast improvements that have been made in recent decades in the ROK Armed Forces,’’ he said. ``The ROK Armed Forces are first-rate among armed forces all over the world.’’

Asked whether the role of USFK will be expanded to other parts of the Asian region as rapidly deployable forces, he said the ROK-U.S. alliance is ``not confined specifically to the geographical environment of the peninsula, but may in fact have a regional quality to it’’ in the future.

Regarding the security concerns of some South Koreans, Campbell said: ``Think about two take-aways before you leave. The first take-away is thinking about capabilities, and not about the numbers. The second take-away is to remember that the commitment remains the same.’’

jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr